Balfour Forest, Aboyne, MTB Trails

Description

Balfour Forest Mountain Bike Trails in Aboyne, Scotland consists of sanctioned and wild trails. The forest is managed by the Birse Community Trust (BCt) and the sanctioned trails trail community work is overseen by the Aberdeenshire Trail Association in conjunction with the BCt. The Aboyne Bike Park and Tarland Trails are also in the wider area.

Relish Trail - (blue)

• The Relish trail was completed in 2022 and is a short fun downhill flow blue trail built by CRC. It is a downhill track with approximately 500 meters of flow. 
• It bridges the gap between a traditional trail center and a more natural hand-built technical trail. So, you get the excitement of natural trails while lowering the difficulty to allow more riders to progress towards the higher, more technical trails.
• It incorporates natural features into a durable, hard-wearing surface and has advanced options for more experienced riders.​

Piccalilli – (blue)

• Piccalilli is a new blue-grade singletrack trail launched in 2025. It links the top and bottom sections of Chutney, providing a smoother return route and cutting out the need for ‘the traverse’.
• The trail is currently a work in progress as at June 2025 and is being bedded in over the summer, with further features and improvements planned for autumn once conditions allow. It’s designed as a more accessible line within the network and forms part of a joined-up ride experience at Balfour Forest.

Chutney Nudger - (red / blue)

• Chutney Nudger is a red trail and one of the local favourites. The trail can be started from the car park at the bottom or it can be combined with other trails. The trail is split into 3 sections. 

Dark Magic - (red )

• Dark Magic is graded red and is just under 400 metres of descending action.

Panic Button - (black)

• Panic Button is a black-graded steep, technical trail including rock slabs, a rock garden, and gap jumps. It is around 520 metres descending in length.

Gruffalo Grump (blue)

• Gruffalo Grump is a blue singletrack trail with around 320 metres of downhill descent.

Friends Electric - (red)

• Friends Electric is a steep, loamy trail with switchbacks and is around 720m in length.

Other Stuff

• Aberdeenshire Trails Association maintains the sanctioned Chutney and Relish mountain bike trails.

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• If you have ridden the trails in Balfour Forest, Aboyne then please share your experiences and post your reviews, pictures, and videos to the listing.